Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 15.3 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 27.9% more likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 5.2 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $60,200 as of 2020.
be 86.4% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In United States, that number is 3.9% as of 2018.
pay a 12.0% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In United States, the top tax rate is 39.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 84.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In United States, 19.0 women do as of 2017.
be 80.0% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
have 33.8% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In United States, there are 12.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 30.0% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In United States, about 91.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 26.5% less on education
South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United States spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2014.
spend 84.6% more on healthcare
South Africa spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In United States, that number is 16.8% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 7.1 times more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, South African Revenue Service.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.